Sticking with it

Hi all,

My husband and I both have quite a bit of weight to lose, and have become Primal converts... well for the most part. We both feel better when eating this way and do well for a week or two at a time. Then we have a family event or a holiday and it seems like the wheels come off the cart.

We've been "playing" at this way of eating for about 8 months and originally we did really well. My husband lost 40lbs and I lost 15. Lately, we can't seem to stay on course, my husband has gained back about 20lbs of his original loss.

I guess I'm looking for some ideas on how to make this easier, maybe tips that we can turn to for help.

Maybe I can help. My husband and I 'stumbled' onto primal eating, and only discoverd the blueprint later. As such, we were making it up as we went along. We weren't looking for weight loss, though, we were looking for improved health. We found both, in the long run.

Perhaps if you take the focus off weight loss per se, and focussing on eating in ways that make you feel better, it will be easier to stick with it. That way, you can eat in ways that reward you instead of focussing on limitiations and being tempted to "cheat".

An example: sugar isn't great for us, but since we were focused primarily on removing grains from our diet because grains were actively making us ill, my husband and I binged on pseudo promal baked goods for the first many months we ate grain free - we ate almond based cookies, brownies, and pancakes, we ate pie with walnut crusts, we indulged to our hearts delight and said frequently to one another "This is deprivation I can live with!".

No, we didnt lose much weight, but we felt better and better! Over time we found the baked goods less appealing, too, because we used honey, and we reduced the amount each time we made them, reducing their addictive quality.

As we gradually started to focus more and more on meat and vegetables, we did start to lose weight and that was just a bonus because we'd been feeling great for a couple of years at that point.

Even better, we have a treasure trove of "treats" recipes that we can pull out for birthdays and other celebrations, so we get "party food" that doesn't set us too far back.

We've been on this path since late 2009. My husband has lost over 100 pounds and I am down from a size 28 to a size 14. Most of that happened since last November -- but we've felt terrific since late 2009.

Maybe if you could find recipes for treats you like that won't suck you back 9into grain eating, it would be easier to stay strong long enough to start feeling the improved health that is its own reward?

Misti
***
Grain Free since 2009, WP from 2005
~100% primal (because anything less makes me very sick)
Goal: hike across Sweden with my grandchildren when I retire in a few years

I tell people the truth - I can't eat that, and if they push, I let them know I've been advised by my doctor to make some lifestyle changes due to my high risk of developing diabetes. Can't works much better with most people that I-don't, which they interpret to be you judging them IME. BTW - this also works with myself. Everytime I'm tempted by something sweet or starchy - I picture my dad/aunt/cousin/gradfather/etc (they all have it) sticking himself in his thumb in the morning and the pills lined up by his plate. Then I picture me doing that - every morning for the rest of my life (and that's a mightly long time). This picture stops me dead in my tracks. It helps that I got a blood glucose test kit from my dad and periodically do poke my thumb. It sucks and I hate doing it, but knowing my numbers helps motivate me and remind me why I'm doing this.

Most folks are pretty taken aback because I'm not remotely overweight, but sometimes that makes them take me more seriously. And if they don't - screw 'em. It's not their body and it's not their health - it's MINE, and no wierd amount of direct or implied peer pressure is going to make me cave on my lifestyle choices. Am I going to die if I eat a piece of pizza? Of course not - not today, but will I die sooner if I don't stick to a diet that keeps my insulin levels in check? Why yes, yes I probably would, and my quality of life would also be greatly impacted. Your health is often the sum of thousands of small choices and I'm very good at math.

I have other motivators too, and there's been lots of positive reinforcement, but when I need something that puts the kibosh on whatever short-term damage I'm contemplating - that's the big gun. I simply can't eat that stuff if I want to avoid the genentic quicksand I've inherited.

So find that motivator for you. The one that makes sticking with it more powerful than not. The one that works when that little voice in your head says 'one brownie isn't going to be that big of a deal', because then it makes that cookie ok, and that sandwich, and so on... And pretty soon the sum of your choices is no longer positive.